Every year that we've had a garden, we've grown a giant pumpkin. If you've ever grown a giant pumpkin, you know the risks involved. I mean, this is really risky stuff.

How get a pumpkin to be as big as possible has been the subject of many books and websites. And then, of course, there are secrets. Deep dark secrets.

None of which we know actually.

But...basically, you have to cut off all the pumpkins that grow on the vine, except for one. And you water and nurture and care for ONLY that one.

This is serious stuff.

(The joke is, that the summer Kenneth and I backpacked through Europe B.C. (before children), Kenneth grew his first ever giant pumpkin. We were gone for 6 weeks, and we asked my college aged brother to care for the garden, and pick any squash for himself. Well, he thought that the pumpkin was squash for picking. Kenneth had taken 4 months to care for that one pumpkin. But miraculously, a late bloomer appeared that was growing between 2 loose fence beams, and we actually had to alter the fence to let it grow. It of course never had time to get much bigger than any normal pumpkin, but that didn't matter. The pumpkin even had a name. Halloween came, and we took a road trip, in which this pumpkin was buckled in a seat belt and traveled with us. This is how we feel about our giant pumpkins, folks.In our house, it's as serious as growing children. Um....ok, maybe not that serious...but you get the point!)

Last year, Ian's giant pumpkin was rather small. Too shady. This year, it was Addie's turn for bad luck (although she grew a watermelon nearly that weighed nearly as much as she does!)

Ian has been caring for this big guy since April. Seven months has watered, tended to and checked on his pumpkin. If you have been a house guest in the past 7 months, you haven't been able to walk in the door without him grabbing your hand and dragging you to the garden to show off his pumpkin. It's almost become a pet!

I have no idea how we are even going to get it inside. He's determined to carve it, but right now, we're not even sure if it will fit in the wheel barrel without denting a side.

Hi, I'm Sarah Jane: Designer, illustrator, and creative mother who loves to inspire and share my ideas from inside my studio. Snapshots of home and studio life, peeks into my creative mind, and projects for you to make alongside.